Best Of HuffPost On 3 August -- 9 Stories You Shouldn't Miss

Speaker Baleka Mbete is a very powerful woman who is still not saying if she will allow a secret ballot in Zuma. Atul Gupta says all the allegations are due to "monopoly capital" ganging up on his family, and St John's College parents speak out.

1. Speaker Baleka Mbete is one very powerful person in SA today. Will she or won't she allow a secret ballot in Jacob Zuma on 8 August? She's still holding her cards close to her chest. Read here.

2. Shem. Poor, poor Atul Gupta's latest claim to the BBC is that all those state capture claims are because "monopoly capital" in South Africa is ganging up on his family. Read here.

3. St John's College parents are speaking out about a culture of racism that has existed in the school for decades. Brave pupils stood up at a meeting to share their personal experiences of prejudice. Read here.

4. Almost half of South African children are growing up without a father, and society is suffering as a result, writes Rebone Masemola. "Most young people are likely to react destructively in situations where they don't have a positive male role model." Read here.

5. A venue in the Western Cape which refused to host a same-sex wedding could set a dangerous legal precedent, say experts. It's opened a can of worms and revealed a problem of homophobia in the service industry. Read here.

6. After over five years being held hostage by al-Qaeda in Mali, SA hostage Stephen McGowan is finally free. His mother didn't live to see the day but his wife Catherine did and it's the start of a new journey for the couple. Read here.

7. Is Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg really thinking about running for US president in 2020? Here are 10 signs it might be true. Read here.

8. Deputy pres Cyril Ramaphosa has hit back at claims that his presidential campaign is being run by whites. His staff say it's all part of a plot not is "not only untrue and inherently racist, but they diminish the contribution that those individuals involved.. have made over many years to the struggle for a free and democratic SA". Read here.

9. Actor and musician, Dumi Masilela was killed in a botched hijacking in Tembisa. Gospel artist Andile KaMajola said: "We are heartbroken by the rate at which we are losing our young stars to crime in South Africa." Read here.